How to Transform Flour and Water into the Fluffiest Dinner Rolls| What's Eating Dan?

The secret to plush, doughy perfection? Cooked flour and water, or tangzhong, an Asian baking technique. It's what makes our fluffy dinner rolls so... fluffy.
Get the recipe for Fluffy Dinner Rolls: cooks.io/2N0Uhts
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[@jasonyoung6420]

"Do a little math, make a little paste, get bread tonight!" by D.S. & The Test Kitchen Band

[@NaticalaChica]

I thoroughly enjoyed this comment.

[@Sun-Soul]

Okay, now I'm gonna be singing this all day!😄☺️

[@Adiera]

Was totally singing that in my head when he said that!

[@Rob-df6py]

Yeah, Jason, you nailed it

[@MK-qe7fz]

Jason Young hahaha good one

[@ArtU4All]

Wow! Amazing.... The flour-water mixture in the USSR was THE home made glue, spread on the strips of newspaper, used to winterize the gaps in the window frames. We called it "kleister".

[@Muenni]

As in the German word "Kleister" (= paste, glue)? Interesting!

[@szymonantoniak1772]

same in Poland!

[@juansierralonche9864]

Great, now I can't stop thinking about eating Pomeranians.

[@lindabuck2777]

Juan Sierralonche 😝🌟😝😝

[@CommanderBalok]

Turnabout is fair play! You know THEY are thinking about eating YOU...

[@jayelle3448]

Grateful my gulp of coffee was already swallowed before reading this comment! 🤣....💀 You deserve a 21👍 salute, take a bow & accept this small token of appreciation 🏆

[@Waltham1892]

I tried this recipe and here are my notes: 1. I made the roux by using three 20 seconds rounds in the microwave. Mistake, I almost cooked it. Do one 20 second burst and then 5-10 second bursts until you get it the way you need it. 2. The recipe results in a dough that is very wet. Really, a wet gloppy, sticky mess. I did have to add a bit (lot) more flour to make it cohesive. 3. The roux works, perfectly. It resulted in the tallest, fluffiest, softest rolls I've every made. Well worth the mess.

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

Don't do your roux in the Microwave. From a Bakers Perspective, this is just BS. Make it in a small pot. Flour + Water (or any Liquid) in there, maybe additionally the salt of the main dough (extends "Shelf Life" quite a bit, if neccessary or conveniet), stir with a wisk until it gets thick, Down from the heat. Takes around 2-3 Minutes at max. The result then is way better then in the video. When cooled it should have the consistency of a Pudding, not of a Paste. PS: I'm a Baker. Not everything in this Video is right. Not gonna go into that, but just do it on the stove, takes minimal effort more, makes the Result much better.

[@Waltham1892]

@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 I'll give your way a shot, but I'm not dissatisfied with the way the recipe (as given) turned out.

[@lillith725]

@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 Thank you! don't own a microwave oven, hoped stove top would work better

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

@@Waltham1892 The result of the fluffiness is defenetly not the Roux. It is because of the additional Liquid. If you do your Roux right, the Dough should be way easier to handle with the same end result, because since the liquid is properly bound. So at least for this dough, it would propably just make your life easier ;)

[@Waltham1892]

@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 You sayin I don't know how to make a Roux? Them's fightin words!

[@alanvonau278]

All factors considered, Dan is my favorite chef presenter on ATK. Dan, bravissimo 👍👍👏!

[@bonniepwtf]

Alan Au Agreed!

[@KJ_nyc]

Dan Souza is a STAR! Not only is he blessed with good looks, a nice speaking voice, and a good sense of humor, the camera loves him. He's also a great teacher. Move over J. Kenji López-Alt and Christopher Kimball, there's a new cooking stud in town. And my eyes and ears are in love. (My kitchen guests are happy, too.)

[@lynn1505]

Dan channeling KC & The Sunshine Band made my day.

[@rachael63]

I was literally about to start researching bread making techniques when this video popped up. I will definitely be giving the tangzhong a try.

[@brittcorley]

I was just going to youtube to look up how to make dinner rolls. Thought Big Brother was reading my thoughts, but turns out it was just Dan.

[@ishtar0077]

I love watching and hearing his voice.💖

[@nerdcave0]

I've made hotdog buns with tangzhong before. Never in my life did I think it was possible to get that texture without chemicals. Its texture was almost like artificial, factory bread (but in a good way).

[@DanielJSouza]

Yes! Perfect for hot dog buns.

[@KenS1267]

The only time this technique hasn't worked marvelously for me was when I tried to make a baguette with it. It was just all kinds of wrong.

[@riswampyankee9633]

Be sure to steam them a bit just before use, too! Ultra fluffy.

[@sendoh7x]

@@riswampyankee9633 10 secs in the microwave oven will do

[@JosephStone330]

Just in Time for Thanksgiving! Way to start November off right Dan!

[@poorboy1225]

I've always heard of the tangzhong method but never understood WHY to use it until now. Thank you! It makes a lot of sense.

[@lindapasquali2670]

Super interesting! Thanks Dan!

[@snoopaka]

These videos are some of my favorites on KZbin. Keep em coming

[@tcransandman]

This was one of the biggest eye opener cooking video i've watched all year i think.

[@donnadodd2822]

These were excellent! Love the texture of the dough.

[@babylonfive]

Wonderful. You are so easy to learn from. Thank you.

[@fourseasonsnorth]

Splendid information, video and humour! Thanks!

[@CherylDaugherty]

Thank you. Love what’s eating Dan episodes

[@notvangogh]

These videos really are fantastic! Thank you!

[@charlenecole1840]

You are my favorite of all Cook’s Illustrated talented chefs. You make baking fun!

[@Piboon11]

Thank you so much, Dan. I have to say that this short video is packed with all the good bread-tips I've always wanted to know. Will try this method soon. God bless you all at ATK!

[@Macros1971]

Looks DELICIOUS Dan!

[@hamradiojim6788]

Made these yesterday for today's Thanksgiving meal. Had to test one to make sure they came out OK and wow! Delicious and a beautiful texture; plan to reheat for dinner today...should be great. Thanks, Dan.

[@lorenzomontoya1260]

This is a great contribution for breadmakers. Makes everything easier, and more importantly, results in an outstanding bread. Thanks😊

[@candicewaller403]

Excited to try this for my x-mas morning cinnamon rolls! Thanks, Dan!

[@OgilvyDisciple]

Nice job Dan. Your videos satisfy the scientist in me, while being engaging and entertaining. Keep up the good work!

[@markleng67]

This works! Recommended!

[@nealieanderson512]

You’re a fun guy Dan! Great vid!

[@pamelachow1957]

Brilliant video!

[@bonniepwtf]

Always enjoyed your segments on Cook's Country but they were so few & far between. So glad to see you on here & Instagram. Very enjoyable & great delivery.

[@ezzyshian]

A perfect soothing video before i sleep...

[@kletingmerah3069]

Omg! Thank you for enlightening me with this video!! 😭😚😍

[@cjwiffle4714]

this is the greatest series on YT and perhaps the entire internet. looking forward to 2020

[@mauz791]

I can't believe this is free

[@hollym5873]

Love your videos, Thanks

[@dottingham]

Love it! Thanks! I haven't tried this water roux yet, but I've heard a lot about it.

[@Avacarho]

Love your videos, Dan. My bff tried to make meringue yesterday for his lemon meringue pie and couldn't get it to peak. Because of your tips, I'm a better home cook. I got his meringue to peak in seconds. Please keep giving us these videos.

[@mitzimarquez2410]

I love to watch his videos 😍. So informative and fun! " Fluffy little beauties'. LoL 😆

[@RaspK]

Now I have to try this out with several recipes I have in mind...

[@kellyharbaugh9391]

This guy is awesome!!

[@chefdingo]

I have a 1970s whole wheat cookbook that uses this method in it's main bread recipe. I always thought it was weird and didn't understand how it worked, but it makes the lightest 100% whole wheat bread. My instructor at culinary school 20 years ago had never seen anything like it, and he was a bread baker. It's great to finally get an explanation of the method!

[@leenakapoor1756]

I did a little math and made a little paste and made my favorite no-knead dinner rolls with it. They turned out really well. They were soft, pillowy and amazingly tasty. Thank you Dan. (I used bread flour in the recipe and no other flour.)

[@bettyescookingchannel]

It looks like some interesting techniques for making bread.

[@ernestmchugh3132]

Dano, you're the best!

[@dpie4859]

Impressive stuff

[@meowzerus]

Dan is my hero 😍

[@Orholam5]

omg doing this with babka would be amazing!

[@aimeegarcia4771]

AMAZING

[@ellagreen4336]

Here you go, lovely folks ;) Andrea Geary's "Fluffiest Dinner Rolls" as mentioned in the video ;) Now, apron on and get baking! ;) xoxoxo sauro.com/Recipes/Cooks%20Illustrated%20Recipes/Dinner%20Rolls.pdf

[@ZogXll]

Awesome, thanks

[@kcet1948]

Thank you. Will definitely try it out.

[@JoelGonzalez-ud7qo]

...carbohydrate roller coaster loop-dee-loop of joy!".. How can I not make these asap? Hilarious writing and delivery Dan once again. 🤣👏👍

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

What is the recipe you will use?

[@JoelGonzalez-ud7qo]

@@thehomeplatespecial597 I'll do the dinner rolls and the sticky buns!

[@paulasimson4939]

Running to the kitchen (and the calculator) to try this out right now!

[@lindachandler2293]

Love!

[@OnDasherOnDancer]

All I can say is wooooooooooooow! 😋

[@sarahclause8957]

I tried this today while making cinnamon rolls. I did 1/4 cup flour out of 3 1/2 cups. I also did the "autolyse" The dough was so amazingly easy to work with, and the end result was fantastic. I can't believe I've never heard of this before.

[@jameshobbs]

Tight production/editing, camera and writing. Great content on a valuable topic. Nice job.

[@elizabethshaw734]

I lived in Southeast Asia and they make the best bread!! Milk bread is the ultimate if you like soft thick fluffy delicious bread. :-)

[@Charlie-np1yr]

I've been making bread for years but never tried this, I'm definitely giving this a go! Especially excited to make challah! Thanks

[@drananth]

This has to be the missing link. Thanks. Finally.

[@chompsmom6336]

I'm going to use this technique to replicate Texas Roadhouse Rolls. Was just looking for a recipe for that, this will help.

[@jdolive1230]

I love these videos--thank you Dan and ATK crew! Is anyone having trouble with the yukone and the "slap and fold" versus kneeding technique? I have tried higher and lower percentages of yukone in a 70% hydration baguette dough and not been able to slap and fold. I was able to slap and fold a 80% hydration sour dough. Thanks again!

[@valliarlette6596]

I have been using this technique since it was published online. I also like to use mashed potato, but I think that’s different chemistry.

[@brianklaus2468]

Those fluffy rolls are killer and are served at every holiday meal on my family

[@MGHallmann]

Would like to apply this method to my next yeast doughnut recipe

[@MoPoppins]

M Hallmann video - They’ll probably turn out uniquely-tender & moist like Krispy Kreme’s.

[@42istheanswer23]

So if you can mimic Krispy Kreme donuts... Please share!

[@Profanitey]

I wonder what the result in pizza would be... looks like I’ll have to make some next week!

[@hearttoheart4me]

Oh Dan you make me laugh. This made my day especially since I was, key word WAS, going to go the the store for bread but now I am making this. Thank you Dan and ATK. Great video. Keep it up oh fluffy one. :)

[@bridgetbrecheen3726]

Who knew? Fantastic, informative video. A technique from the Japanese who are not known for their baked goods. Thanks for teaching me something new.

[@pingho8287]

this method has been used by Chinese people for centuries in making steam buns, dumpling wrappers and glutinous rice dumplings. actually same method is used in many European countries for centuries as well. it's just that a Japanese company applied for a patent for making bread using the “yu-dane” method in 2001. The yu-dane method was then modified by Taiwanese pastry chef Yvonne Chen (Chinese: 陳郁芬), who published a book in 2007 called 65°C Bread Doctor. This book, and especially importantly with the arise of the INTERNET ERA, this technique explosively popularized in Asian communities around the world.

[@biophile2]

Making the paste in the microwave looks much easier than all the stovetop recipes I’ve seen in the past. I greatly appreciate the ratio in lieu of a recipe. A strand of that dough wrapped around a hotdog and baked (sausage roll ubiquitous in Japan and China) would be fantastic! Does this method work with whole wheat, either as the paste and/or the rest of the dough? Thank you as always.

[@DwightNewton]

I tried this with some no-knead artisan bread (the kind you bake in a Dutch oven). What appealed to me was the idea that it kept bread fresher longer. I use rye in my bread, so it has a tendency to mold. It didn't make much difference in texture as far as I could tell. I wasn't sure how much paste to make. I was using a spreadsheet to do the math -- 5 parts water to one part flour, with the total being 10-15% of total weight. It hurt my head so bad I just decided to wing it. Probably made too much, or maybe not enough. I concur with the many comments about how to heat this to just over 140 degrees in a microwave. First attempt cooked it and had to be thrown out. Second attempt done in 10 second increments, whisking at each stage, and finally came out vaguely like he shows in the video. Unless this is the best batch I've ever made (I haven't actually tried it yet -- it's cooling now), I'm thinking this is probably not worth the extra effort for my purposes. Might be best for lighter breads as shown -- dinner rolls and challah and so on.

[@PeskyCanadian]

YES!!!

[@amiejo]

I made a practice batch tonight for Thanksgiving, and man are they good! I know I’m going to need to triple or quadruple the recipe because its physically impossible to only eat one of these, and I don’t want to risk a WWE rumble for the bread basket. So, Dan, can I reasonably double the recipe and still get witchcraft like results? Thanks

[@delorisjones3314]

Great recipe. How do I adjust for cinnamon rolls? Want to do them for Christmas.

[@johnlord8337]

Make the starch gel, then add in doubled egg, baking soda/powder, salt and allow to autolyse, then roll in sweet cream butter chips or olive oil. Make your bread type. Bake, and a world of goodness happens.

[@alexisdix6704]

Amazing! Now it would be good if you could do a segment on Einkorn flour. I got some at the farmer's market yesterday. Is it considered to be all purpose or soft? I know that it is ancient and it was good when I used it in your buttermilk pancake recipe for two.

[@doomo]

just a tip. I have made this for a while now. Do NOT use a whisk use a silicon spatula/spoonula. much easier.

[@gabelstapler19]

I made these rolls yesterday. I ran into some problems with getting to the right stage of gluten formation/dough handling. I think it's mostly to blame on Kitchenaid's crappy spiral dough hook on their drop bowl models. I've rarely gotten a good "kneading" out of the thing, and even then, only with really stiff doughs. I tried pulling the dough out (a triple batch) after about 20 minutes of kneading on medium low, and it was still just a big glob of goo. Back in it went for another 10-15 minutes of kneading on medium high (8), and I pulled it out when it was pulling away from the bowl a bit. The dough was still VERY sticky while trying to portion it, but not much more than other high hydration doughs. The end rolls were very good, and my kids are asking when I can make them again. I think as long as I take into account the higher speeds needed for the spiral dough hook, it will become our default roll recipe. Thanks Dan! Oh, and for a triple batch, it took about 4-5 minutes of microwaving to get to the right consistency of the water roux, and the temp was ~160F.

[@samuelmoore8932]

You should talk about pumpkin

[@kirstenbarbera9672]

This is super interesting. How far in advance can the paste be made? Would this work with breadmaker recipes?

[@davidalearmonth]

Can you do this with a bread maker? (I mean, start with the paste, then add everything to let it continue on its own?)

[@jcoolshockr1]

Great vid! How can i make this work with wholewheat flour?

[@kpnitrl38]

Crazy question, but can you add this to a pizza dough? I was thinking extra high hydration which might give better results in home ovens

[@PaulMazzolapdm]

I'm going to try it tonight using 20% paste.

[@CoryHallisey]

I was thinking the same thing. Let us all know how I turns out. I’ve been questing to perfect home pizza for years. Finding 00 four was a revelation now maybe paste will put it over the edge.

[@IDDQDSound]

I think with pizza we are not particularly looking to have a fluffy dough, but it will definitely improve the crust. Maybe if you use the paste but also use a rolling pin for the centre, you get a great pizza with a "dinner roll" crust. Def would love to hear about the results!

[@stanislasvillard2795]

!remindme 1 day

[@timboyer8783]

@@PaulMazzolapdm how'd it go?

[@__jh__]

Curious what this would do if you added it to the flour & egg mix when making egg pasta. Keep it from drying out as easily? Or would it possibly make it fall apart when rolling?

[@nathitappan]

You should totally make an episode on croissants! This biscuits were amazing though!

[@nathitappan]

Oops.. I mean dinner rolls

[@scottgray6276]

I might try that for paper mâché....

[@writereducator]

I made the dinner rolls. They did not get to last for days, since my kids and I ate them up immediately. Great recipe. Now, I'm trying this with pizza dough.

[@writereducator]

It works beautifully for pizza dough. Now I'll experiment with the percentage of hydration.

[@ronwelkert2104]

Would have been nice to have a link to a recipe for one item to make sure it works before doing the math. Very interesting though.

[@lisayerace5578]

Sorry..... what? Lol! Dan.... you so funny! Thanks for this great info!

[@headthroughawindow]

Will the flour paste method work using gluten-free flours? Any suggestions as to which kind?

[@goldenrule4064]

Go ‘head, co’nbread!

[@Winther83]

Well my theory is that the "gloop" is a gluten polymerization starter instead of the dough needing to start from scratch it gets a huge mass off gluten that already started the process and when mixing starts its spread out into the rest and makes polymerization nodes that bind the whole dough quick and easy. will diffidently experiment with this. :)

[@knutknutson7266]

I like this idea. But I wish this video was longer and they showed how they converted a traditional recipe to one with tangzhong.

[@danieljones167]

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this was so hard to not stare at because I used to make bread all the time and gluten free is just different.

[@Unreg1sterdUser]

You see pregelled starch used in all sorts of foods as modified food starch! It's also what instant pudding is made of.

[@lordgarion514]

That is so not what the "modified" in modified starch means. Google is your friend.

[@asadb1990]

i wish these cooking channels would discuss the ratio using whole grain wheat dough.

[@9Godslayer]

I'm really curious if this helps pasta dough as well.

[@15hertz205]

I wonder if I can use this when making yeast donuts.

[@denisela3403]

Yes. It's on the king arthur flour website

[@mikejackson6862]

Dan! There’s no recipe for the Hola bread?

[@FiciousCritik]

I'm a newbie with questions. It seems this would not be desired for chewy brownies...correct? If correct, what would be a...less obvious...recipe that might/should exclude it? I assume some recipes would use markedly different ratios of paste:dough...correct? (NOT slightly different, but BIGLY different ratios) If so, what would be a good example?

[@ryankish6370]

So i bake a lot of sourdough bread, how would it turn out if i tried to incorporate this method into my sourdough process?

[@Quantum_GirlE]

Could I use All Purpose flour if I am out of bread flour? Or if I have a little left, mix the two?